Consider all evidence available in making your final decision on the payee appointment.

REMEMBER: A payee applicant who has been selected payee for a beneficiary will not be considered the “payee of record” until the beneficiary has been afforded his or her appeal rights (via the advance notice when applicable) and benefits have been certified to the proposed payee.

You must carefully document the payee application to capture the relevant details concerning the payee appointment. For information on documenting payee selections and non-selections, including questions that arise about the payee’s suitability, see GN 00502.185.

Show the payee legend using the same wording as shown in the guardianship court order. Use the relationship of the first named guardian to code the type of payee and, if applicable, custody. For additional information, see Additional Development/Considerations When Guardian is Involved in GN 00502.139, and for eRPS coding instructions, see GN 00502.112B.2.

CAUTION: Only court appointed guardians can be named joint payees. Do not appoint any other joint payees.

Appoint one payee for all benefits to which the beneficiary is entitled. You only need to obtain one application from the payee for a beneficiary with multiple benefit entitlements. If the beneficiary becomes entitled to a new benefit after the initial payee appointment, contact the existing payee as a separate representative payee application is needed for the subsequent benefit.